Currently, electronic message communication is extensively used as an information transmission means. For example, pervasive digital devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and smart cards have become more useful and powerful. Further examples include, texting messages, email, and instant messaging using personal computers and cell phones. Transaction cards are ubiquitous and relied upon by users to purchase goods and engage in banking transactions, enter secure facilities, record data such as entering and leaving time of a facility or area, and many other functions. In general, a transaction card uses a magnetic stripe or an embedded silicon chip to store a personal profile or secure data on the transaction card and provides means for enabling access to the stored data or information using, e.g., electronic card swipe or like card reader mechanisms. Other non-secure data such as a logo, or customer service information are hard-printed on the surface of the transaction cards and stay unchanged throughout the card's life cycle. Users rarely pay attention to what is printed on the surface of the transaction cards. Therefore, the real estate on the transaction card is not well utilized for messaging or advertising to the card user.
Further, traditional transaction cards such as credit cards, phone cards, public transportation access cards, etc. are still widely used in most people's daily life. A transaction card is highly portable, and thereby it would be desirable to have a transaction card become part of a telecommunications system. Such a transaction card would enables end-users to receive communications, as well as, interact with a network using electronic digital communication by consistently or periodically connecting to a server, a network node, or like networked computing device.